Safety device for elevators.



No. 737,440. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903.. W. G. MILLER. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED IAB. 11. 1003.

l0 IODEL.

UNITED STATES `Patented August 25, 1905i.

VPATENT OFFICE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters latent N 0. 737,440, dated August 25, 1903. Application filed March 1l, 1903. Serial No. 147,215. (No model.)

To LN whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to elevators, and has for its object to provide a novel'safety device which will prevent the operator of the elevator-cage from opening the door of the elevator- 'well except when the cage is stationary at the landing, and thus prevent the possibility of passengers attempting to enter or leave the elevator-cage except when the latter is properly positioned at the landing.

One of the sources of danger not only to elevator operators, but also to passengers, is the tendency on the part of elevator operators to start the car before the door of the well is fully closed and to close the door while the car is moving. Vhen the elevator-cage is thus started before the elevator-well door is closed, it sometimes happens that passengers on seeing the elevator-well door partly opened make an attempt either to enter or leave the elevator-cage just after the cage has left the landing or before the cage has quite reached the landing. Such attempts on the part of the passengers frequently result in injury to them, and to prevent this safety devices are required in some localities which are designed to absolutely prevent persons attempting to enter or leave the car except while the latter is stationary at the landing. My improvements are designed to accomplish this object by preventing the operator while in his cage from moving the elevator-well door in either direction except when the cage is stationary at the landing.

An elevator embodying my invention has a projection extending laterally from the exterior of the cage into the elevator-well, the outer edge of theprojection terminating some distance inside of the well-door of the elevator-well, so as to permit the elevator to freely move up and down without any danger of said projection coming into the path of any portion of the elevator-well or any projection extending inwardly therefrom, and a cooperating projection extending inwardly from the welldoor into the elevator-well and of a length to 4overlap the projection on the cage when the cage stands opposite said well-door. projections are so spaced with relation to each other that when said cage is opposite the door the projection on the cage standsin the path of movement of that on the well-door, except when the cage is in a certain predetermined position, which is its proper position for receiving or discharging passengers. With my invention, therefore, it is impossible for the elevator operator to open the welldoor from within the cage if the latter is either above or below its proper position for receiving or discharging passengers.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of so much of an elevator and its well as to show my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line @uw of Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4 Show modifications, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the modification shown in Fig. 4A.

3 indicates a suitable elevator-well, in which operates a cage or car 4. of any suitable or usual construction. 5 indicates a door closing an opening or doorway leading from the landing 6 to the elevator-well. These parts are common to every elevator and may be of any suitable or usual construction.

My invention may assume various forms, though that herein illustrated is what I consider the most practical embodiment of it.

The cage 4f has rigidly secured thereto a vertically extending flange which projects outwardly from the cage toward the wall of the elevator-well, and the door 5 of the well has rigidly secured thereto a linger or stop 10, which extends laterally from the door and inwardly toward the cage. The flange is of such a width that its outer edge stands some distance inward from the wall of the elevatorwell, so as to permit the cage to move freely up and down without the flange striking any portion of the wall of the elevatorwell or any projection thereupon. The stop or finger l0 projects inwardly far enough so that when the cage is opposite the well-door 5 the end of said stop overlaps the edge of the ilange. In Fig. l the projection or flange on the cage is divided and comprises two parts 7 and 8, which are separated so as to leave a space or These IOO opening 9 between them. The projection or finger 10 on the well-door 5 is so positioned with relation to the openingl 9 that when the cage is properly positioned at the landing for receiving or discharging passengers the said stop 10 stands opposite the opening 9. When the parts are in this position, the elevator-well door 5 may be opened or closed by the operafor in the cage. If, however, the car is brought to rest slightly above or below its proper position or if the car be just moving away from the landing or just approaching the landing, one or the other of the two parts 7 or 8 of the ange will stand in the-path of' movement of the finger or stop 10, and thus prevent the operator from closing or opening the well-door 5. With my improvements, therefore, it is absolutely necessary that the cage be stationary at the landing and in proper position for receiving or discharging the passengers before the elevator operator can open or close the well-door 5. In practice the space 9 will be slightly wider than the projection 10, so as to allow for slight variations in the position at which the elevator-cage is brought to rest.

In Fig. 3 Ihave shown a slightly-different arrangement of projections. In this embodiment of my invention the strip or flange 7 is a continuous one, and a projection 10' is employed at both the top and'bottom of the door. The total length of the projection or flange 7 is slightly less than the distance between the projections 10, and the projections 7 and l0' are so disposed that when the cage is at the landing the projections 10 are above and below the ends of the tlange 7', thus permitting the door to be freely opened and closed. In both forms of the invention, however, it is impossible for the elevator operator to open or close the well-door 5 from the elevatorcage unless the flange is properly closed with relation to the stop or stops on the door, and this only occurs when the cage is standing at the landing in proper position to receive or discharge passengers.

While I have herein shown only one story of the building, it will be understood that the well-door 5 at each story will be provided` with suitable stops, as herein described.

The projections are rigidly secured to both the door and the cage in any suitable way and will be so constructed that it will be impossible for either one or the other to yield sufficient to permit the door to be closed when.:

the car is not in proper position.

The construction is very simple and inexpensive and is such that it can be applied to any existing elevator.

Although I have herein shown the flange or longitudinally-extending stop as secured to the cage and the fingers as secured to the door, yet it will be understood that this position of the parts might be reversed-ez'. e., the flange 7 might be secured to the door 5 and the fingers to the cage 4-without departing from my invention.

In the above embodiment of my invention ltion to receive or discharge passengers.

the projection on the cage is rigidly secured to the body of the cage. This particular construction, however, is not'essential, as the projection carri ed by the cage may be attached to the door of the latter, if it has a door,with out changing the principle of the invention. In Fig. 4, which is a view similar to Fig. 2, I have shown such a modification. The door 5 of the elevator-well is provided with a stop 10, which may either be situated centrally of the door, as in Fig. 1, or at the top and bottom of the door, as in Fig. 3. The door 12 of the cage has at its edge a stop 7 a, which if the stoplO on the well-door 5 is in the form of a finger will be a iiange similar either to flange 7 or 7 in Figs. 1 and 3, according as to whether the stop 7 n is situated centrally between the top and bottom of the well-door 5 or at the top and bottom of said door. The stop 7a is so situated on the cage-door that when said door is closed said stop will occupy the dottedline position, Fig. 4, while when the door is open, as illustrated in' full lines, Fig. 4, said stop is brought against theupper door-jamb, Fig. 4. The well-door 5 is shown as being closed, and in addition to the stop 10 I prefer to employ a supplemental stop 14, situated at the other edge of the door. This form ot the invention is intended to be used with that class of elevators in which the well-door is provided with a suitable lock or spring-catch. I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate specifically the spring-catch or lock, since this is a feature common to many elevators. It will be understood, however, that when such a lock is employed and the well-door 5 is closed and locked the stop 14 becomes an immovable stop. As in the other described embodiment of my invention, the stops 14 and 7 a overlap each other when the cage is opposite the well-door and the stop 7 f is of such a length that its end is entirely inside of the wall of the elevator-well. When, therefore, the well-door is locked and the cage is opposite said door, the cage-door 12 can only be opened when the elevator-cage is stationary in such a position that the stop 7 u can pass by thestop 14. The complete opening of the cage-door carries the stop 7 a past both of the stops 14 and 10, and thereafter the elevator operator may unlock the well-door 5 and open it as usual, provided the elevator-cage is still stationary at the landing and in proper posi- It any variation in the vertical position of the `cage occurs, however, the stop 7 f comes into the path of movement of the stop 10. This construction also prevents the elevator operator from closing the cage-door 12 after the elevator-well door 5 has been closed except while the cage still remains stationary at the landing. It is not necessary that the stop 14 be employed, as a single stop on the well-door 5 will suffice, although I prefer the construction shown in Fig. 4.

It will be seen from the above that with my invention applied to an elevator it is im- IOO IIO

possible for the elevator operator to open or close the well-door when the cage is opposite said door unless the cage be properly positioned at the landing for receiving or discharging passengers. So long as the cage is thus properly positioned it is perfectly safe for passengers to enter or leave, and as it is necessary that the elevator operator close the door completely before starting the cage there can be no possibility of a passenger attempting to enter or leave the elevator while the latter is moving.

Another feature of the invention to which I desire to call attention is that the end or edge of the projection on the cage is situated entirelyinside of the wall of the elevator-well, and therefore affords no obstruction whatever to the free movement of the elevator-cage.

\ It will be understood that various changes may be made in the construction of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention expressed in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an elevator, a cage adapted to travel in an elevator-well, a door leading to the well, a projection rigidly secured to the door and projecting inwardly therefrom toward the cage, and a cooperating projection secured to the cage and projecting outwardly therefrom toward the door, the outer edge of said latter projection being situated inside of the wall of the elevator-well, and each of said projections being so disposed with relation to the other that when the cage is opposite the door the projection thereon stands in the path of movement of that on the door except when the cage is at a predetermined elevation.

2. In an elevator, a cage adapted to travel in a well and a door leading to the well, a vertical flange projecting outwardly from the cage into the well, the outer edge of said dange being spaced from the wall of the elevator-Well, and a finger projecting laterally from the door inwardly into the well and toward the cage, said finger being so placed with relation to the iiange that when the cage is opposite the door the Iiange stands in the path of movement of the linger as the door-is opened or closed except when the cage is at the proper position for receiving or discharging passengers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. G. MILLER.

Vitnesses: v

LoUis C. SMITH, JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

